So I just finished a new build for my studio and opted for a fresh Win 7 Pro install on a dedicated 500 GB SSD. I pulled my old drives and installed them in the new build, they consist of a 2TB 7200 HDD for storage and a 1TB SSD and installed them in the new system. The 2TB 7200 HDD is just for storage and does not contain any applications or files that I need to transfer, but it does have about 1.2TB of free space that I can utilize for temp storage while shuffling data around. The 1TB SSD is the drive this post concerns, it contains ALL of my DAWs, VSTs, project files, useful applications, etc.
My problem is….the SSD that contains all of my VSTs, DAWs, project files, a slew of software I want and need, etc. was also my old OS install drive. So all of that old OS data, as well as all the crap a system acquires over the years….junk files, old data files, stuff I no longer use/outdated installs, etc. needs to be cleaned off.
So I have been mulling over what route to take that accomplishes the task with the least amount of work and/or errors on my part.
Option #1:
Manually going through and deleting things I don't need (OS, old software I don't need, etc.) but holy moly that makes my head swim (the drive is 3/4 full) and I seriously doubt I would get everything I need and would probably still miss at least some of the crap I don't want and would still wind up with a bloated drive.
Option #2:
Reformatting and re-installing EVERYTHING one by one. I really don't want to do this because I'm afraid I'll forget something or run into problems when trying to re-install and end up losing a project/track because some vital element won't re-install or won't work with an old project for some unforeseen reason.
Option #3:
Use a utility, like PCMover or something similar to do the heavy lifting. Something that will allow me to move the applications, project files, etc. and only the things I WANT off of the SSD they are installed on in a complete and intact fashion, which would then allow me to format the drive and then return all of the software, project files, etc. back onto the SSD they were originally installed on. That way the drive will be completely clean and free of all the crap that I was trying to get rid of, buuuut….. I am a little concerned the software won't work after moving it and I'll end up needing to re-install everything by hand anyway.
What is the best way to go about this? I want to minimize headaches and manual labor but if the long way is the best way I'll be doing it regardless.
Does anyone have any experiences they can share?
I'm super indecisive about how I want to do this and, quite frankly, my head is spinning just thinking about it so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Steve? :)
Thanks guys!
